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[Utilization of medical services for children in an area of Copenhagen]
Insights
Children aged 0-14 years frequently used casualty departments, with one in three seeking care annually. This study highlights high medical service utilization, particularly for infectious diseases, suggesting community-based interventions for pediatric health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health Services Research
- Community Medicine
- Epidemiology of Childhood Illness
Context:
- Analysis of pediatric medical service utilization in Copenhagen's Osterbro Social Centre catchment area.
- Focus on children aged 0-14 years during 1986.
- Informed by general practitioner data, hospital casualty records, and national patient registers.
Purpose:
- To describe patterns of illness and medical service utilization among children.
- To inform the development of community-based services for children.
- To analyze age-specific trends in healthcare seeking behavior.
Summary:
- Casualty department use was consistent across childhood, with an average of one-third of children utilizing these services annually.
- Hospital admission rates were notably high for infants and very young children.
- Infectious diseases were the primary reason for most medical contacts and hospitalizations.
Impact:
- Recommends a multidisciplinary, community-wide approach to reduce childhood illness, particularly infectious diseases.
- Highlights the need for targeted interventions to decrease frequent doctor visits and hospital admissions.
- Discusses the decision-making process for selecting healthcare providers during acute childhood illnesses.
Abstract:
As part of the development of models for community services for children, the utilization of the medical services for children in a local area in Copenhagen viz the catchment region of the Osterbro Social Centre was reviewed. By means of contact investigations in the above mentioned region with the general practitioners and duty roster doctors in two selected weeks and by information from the Casualty Department Register in the University Hospital and from the National Danish Patient Register, the pattern of illness for children aged 0-14 years and utilization of medical services in the year 1986 was described. Utilization of casualty departments was uniform throughout childhood. In the course of one year, every third child, on an average, had had contact with a casualty department. This is in contrast with other sections of medical services where utilization decreases with increasing age of the child. The frequency of admission to hospital was high, particularly for the youngest children. The majority of all contacts were on account of infectious diseases. A community, multidisciplinary effort to reduce ill health is suggested to combat the many illnesses due to infection, the numerous contacts with doctors and hospital admission. Choice of doctor in cases of acute illness in children is discussed.